Monday, 21 March 2016

On
the eve of World Water Day 2016, we decided to find the answer to one of the
most intriguing questions related to water: will we ever run out of it? Whilst
doing so, we came across some facts about water pollution which were outright
concerning.Annually, 22nd March is observed
as the World Water Day to spread awareness about the importance of freshwater
and advocate sustainable management of freshwater resources.

Around 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water and yet, more
than a billion people around the world don’t have access to clean water to
drink. Irony is the word! Of the total water available on Earth, 97.5% is in
oceans; unsuitable for drinking due to its salinity. As for the remaining, most
of it is stored in the form of polar ice caps and high-altitude glaciers. Thus,
we are left with less than 1% water that is potable.

One issue that crops up when it comes to water resources management is
the uneven distribution of freshwater sources. While Asia, with 60% of the
world population to its credit, only has 36% freshwater sources on the planet,
South America, with 6% world population, has 26% of the sources.

It’s but obvious that we need to take good care of available water, but
far from that, we seem to be on a mission to spoil it and along with it, our
future. Global water crisis is no more a thing of distant future. It is
knocking on our door and over a billion people are facing the brunt.

Will We Run Out of Water on
Earth?

We won’t run out of water on the planet because the hydrological cycle
or water cycle is a continuous process. However, at the rate at which we are
polluting various freshwater sources, we might run out of clean water sometime soon.
After all, water pollution has become rampant across the world.

Around 90% of untreated waste is dumped into rivers, lakes, and other freshwater sources in developing countries. Source: United Nations World Water Assessment Program (WWAP)

Of the 40,000 million liters of sewage produced in Indian cities, only 20% is subjected to treatment; the rest 80% is dumped into water bodies. Source: Excreta Does Matter/Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)

An estimated 1.8 billion people the world over are dependent on water contaminated with fecal matter. Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply

Around 1,800 children under the age of five die every day as a result of diarrheal diseases stemming from water and sanitation issues. Source UNICEF

Our dependence on water clubbed with our carelessness means it will take
a combined effort from all of us if we are to save water. There do exist some
simple ways to save water. Say, for instance, you simply turn the tap off while
you are brushing your teeth, you’ll be able to save a significant quantity of
water at an individual level. Imagine the impact if all of us decide to do the
same.

Using Water Judiciously: Success
Stories

When we talk about water conservation success stories, one that stands
out is that of Hiware Bazar, a
village in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. Until 1990s, the village was in a very bad condition;
courtesy, less than 400 mm rainfall per annum and rampant destruction of the
green cover. In fact, the situation was so dire that many villagers migrated to
other parts of Maharashtra in the pursuit of a better life.

In 1993, the villagers set on the course of ecological regeneration and
started working on the causes of water scarcity in the village. As a part of
this, degraded forests were regenerated and contour trenches were built along
the hills, which helped restore the water table. Thanks to these efforts, the
village is lush green today, and agriculture has become a major source of income
for the people.

Even at The Akshaya Patra
Foundation, we make it a point to use water judiciously. At the same time,
efforts are made to introduce new ideas that can reduce the use of water. Akshaya
Patra’s Hubballi kitchen, for instance, came up with the idea of cooking rice
with starch instead of draining it out, as a part of Kaizen initiative. The
implementation of this idea helps in saving 110 liters of water per batch of
rice. A hundred batches of rice are cooked every day, so 11,000 liters of water
is saved on a daily basis. If we say there are 220 school days, then the
quantity of water saved in a year will be a whopping 24,20,000 liters.

Never has the need to find water scarcity solutions been as urgent as it
is today, mainly because for the second year in a row in 2015, the monsoon was
poor (775 mm in 2014 and 760.6 mm in 2015.) In fact, 2015 monsoon was the worst
in the last six years. The resulting deficit in dam water in different parts of
the country has already started affecting electricity production. Things
expected to worsen with time as our annual consumption of water is expected to
double by 2050.

It would be naïve to think the problem of water
scarcity only plagues Asian and African countries. Even parts of western United
States and eastern Australia are battling physical water scarcity. In 1995, the
then VP of the World Bank, Ismail Serageldin had said, “If the wars of this
century were fought over oil, the wars of the next century will be fought over
water”. If you go to think of it, he may very well be right!Check out how Bangalore is facing scarcity of water:blog.akshayapatra.org/world-water-day-2016-every-drop-counts/